2010 trek madone freehub advice

well i was thinking it was time to service the freehub. last time i was at the bicycle shop i tried to buy the tools they did not have them said they would have them next time i was in.. well low and behold now after riding in the rain today i notice it is sounding different and harder to spin. i would wait till monday and take it to the shop but i have a prologue in the morning i need to be in.. i need to get 40 miles out of it before i get the tools to take it off and clean and lube properly.

1. what do you guys recomend for me to do to lube or clean without removal?

2. what type of lube should i use?

i am not sure what type of lube to use on this and i dont want to make things worse somehow. i would like to use a similiar lube to whats in there now to avoid a mixing problem.. i have good mech knowledge but over the years i have never delt with this issue on a newer bicycle or freehub.. any advice would be MUCH appreciated!!

FWIW. If you are worried about the Freehub, then get some SEWING MACHINE OIL and drip it down the end of the axle from the Freehub side (I'm presuming that the wheel has a Shimano hub) ... probably, no more than 5 drops of oil.

If you are worried about the axle bearings then use some 3-in-1 (or, equivalent) oil ... again, about 5 drops on each side ... wait several minutes before flipping the wheel over to do the bearings on the opposite side.

If you are taking the hub apart, then WHITE LITHIUM for the axle bearings AFTER you flush any grit out.

BTW. REGARDLESS, the only time you should be coasting in a Prologue is AFTER you have crossed the finish line, so if the Freehub locks up it shouldn't be a factor if the Freehub has essentially becomes a multi-gear Fixie.

i did leave out some vital infor there.. i guess i assumed everyone know's what my bike came with. i was posting this in haste and frustration. hey now though my post did say (FREEHUB!!) not frewheel however.. just sayin give me a break there... it was shimano not sram.. which some trek's come with...

i got this post after the ride and this morning decided to do what felt good.. i had a aersol can of a thicker type lube that with a straw i could stick in where you said. in my mind i knew the probem was from rain and moisture so i knew if the water gets in there so would the lube. the bike only has about 3000 mileson it. so i knew the hub should be good as long as i dont run it dry.. it was under warranty and i did not want to do anything that would effect that either. if it came to that? i dont get much info on the google search on this topic..

the prolouge had a 30 mile cruise ride afterward. i would be scared to ride a fixie.. seems like a knee injury waiting to happen to me.. lol..

you seem to know more on this subject i would like to pic your brain farther now that you know what i have.

1. explain to me what i just oiled on my freehub?

2. is it a bearing?

3. why would this not be sealed like all the other bearings on these bikes pretty much?

4. do i need to do anything else now in your opinion to have it ready for another few thousand wet and dry miles? take apart and clean or relube?

i did leave out some vital infor there.. i guess i assumed everyone know's what my bike came with. i was posting this in haste and frustration. hey now though my post did say (FREEHUB!!) not frewheel however.. just sayin give me a break there... it was shimano not sram.. which some trek's come with...

i got this post after the ride and this morning decided to do what felt good.. i had a aersol can of a thicker type lube that with a straw i could stick in where you said. in my mind i knew the probem was from rain and moisture so i knew if the water gets in there so would the lube. the bike only has about 3000 mileson it. so i knew the hub should be good as long as i dont run it dry.. it was under warranty and i did not want to do anything that would effect that either. if it came to that? i dont get much info on the google search on this topic..

the prolouge had a 30 mile cruise ride afterward. i would be scared to ride a fixie.. seems like a knee injury waiting to happen to me.. lol..

you seem to know more on this subject i would like to pic your brain farther now that you know what i have.

1. explain to me what i just oiled on my freehub?

2. is it a bearing?

3. why would this not be sealed like all the other bearings on these bikes pretty much?

4. do i need to do anything else now in your opinion to have it ready for another few thousand wet and dry miles? take apart and clean or relube?

thanks again for any links or info!!

jason

5.

If you were in doubt, you would have been better served to put a backup wheel on there but its water under the bridge now. At this point, I would take the bike to a shop to have them open it up and take a look in there. there is no way you should be having major issues at 3000 miles unless you are riding in a lot of grime consistently.

As for what you sprayed in there, depending on exactly what it is, it may have helped, it may have hurt but it's not like you would hurt it in the short term but you really should get it opened up and serviced properly. for example, a lot of people don't use wd-40 to lube bike parts because even though it lubes well, it also attracts dirt and grit.

FWIW, All of Shimano's hubs use cup and cone bearings so if you take apart a $30 Tiagra hub or a $300 duraace hub your gonna have bearings falling out.

well i was thinking it was time to service the freehub. last time i was at the bicycle shop i tried to buy the tools they did not have them said they would have them next time i was in..

From memory, Shimano hubs require a pair of cone spanners to get the axle and bearings out and a 10mm allen key to get the freehub body off. Shouldn't take someone with no opposing thumbs who's blindfolded more than 10 minutes to get a nice clean pile of bits ready for relube and reinstall. If you have thumbs and vision then expect 5 minutes.

If you have brontrager hubs, with a shimano compatible freehub in the wheels that you got then it may be a completely different story.

I'm probably replying too late to be of help, but I'm guessing your Madone came with Bontrager wheels and they use DT Swiss internals in the freehub. DT Swiss recommends that you use their grease on the ratchets and axle. I don't think the cartridge bearings (four altogether) can be lubricated and must be replaced. If you did spray a lubricant into the freehub to 'unfreeze' it, it might be wise to now pull it apart, clean and lubricate it. Instructions can be found at www.dtswiss.com.